


Just Breathe

by AliceSchuyler



Series: Keeping It Together [8]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Asthma Fic, Carlos isn't great at telling the truth, Cold weather is cold, M/M, TK loves Carlos, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:13:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29232825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceSchuyler/pseuds/AliceSchuyler
Summary: Carlos doesn't think much of a recent asthma diagnosis until his lungs decide otherwise.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Keeping It Together [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2132163
Comments: 18
Kudos: 167





	Just Breathe

Carlos had felt the tightness in his chest, the suffocating force of his muscles spasming after giving chase to a suspect. He’d ignored it, thinking it was because he was slightly unfit, choosing to spend his free time relaxing on the couch with TK, or heading out to the local bars with the 126 after shift. But after it happened the third or fourth time, he admitted defeat, and finally headed to his regular doctor to have a chat. An hour later, and a diagnosis of cold induced asthma, and Carlos is really not sure how that happened, or how to even make sure he doesn’t end up dying on the job. He tucks the inhaler in his pocket, feeling like he’s holding a WMD, and resolves not to tell TK, because he’ll just laugh at him, before heading back to work. He sits at his desk, toying with the idea of adding it on to his personnel file, but is interrupted by his phone vibrating across the desk.

**TK: Dinner at the TexMex truck with the 126 – you in?**

**Carlos: Heck yes. I’ll see you there.**

He stuffed his phone in his pocket, fingers brushing the inhaler. He pulled it out, tossing it in his top desk drawer and locking it in. He changed quickly in the locker room, his shift over for the day, and headed out to see TK and the 126.

* * *

TK spotted him first as he stepped out of his blue Camaro, bottle green hoodie pulled up over his head, trying to ward off against the cold.

“Hey. Are you seriously cold?” asked TK, grinning at his boyfriend. He kissed him briefly before leading him over to the table where Marjan, Mateo and Paul were already sitting.

“Yeah, I’m cold, I’ve been in a nice warm station all day. I forget how nippy the air can get in December,” grumbled Carlos. He sat down at the table, pulling his hands inside the sleeves, trying to warm himself up. Marjan passed him a plate of nachos, and Mateo placed a drink in front of him.

“We ordered for you man, thought you were never going to get here,” joked Mateo, grinning.

“Paperwork at the station, sorry. It’s the bane of my existence sometimes,” admits Carlos, laughing a little. He sucks in a breath of too cold air, and feels his chest constrict a little. He rubs his sternum subconsciously, trying to relieve the pressure. He misses TK’s look of concern at the action as he tucks into the familiar food, lifting cheesy corn chips from his plate. He smiles stupidly at TK, enjoying the familiarity of the team, the closeness they shared as friends and TK’s fire family, and how Carlos had found himself immediately included as soon as they realised he and TK were dating. He listened as Marjan and Paul ganged up on Mateo, teasing him about the young girl he’d been flirting with at the bar two shifts ago, and Mateo had flushed a brilliant red at that. Carlos smiled at the young man, watching as he spluttered his way through some comment about the young woman, and took a swig of his cold drink. His throat instantly tightened, and he pulled away, choking on the liquid, TK thumping him on the back to try and clear his throat. Carlos raised his hand, a clear signal for TK to pull away.

“I’m all good,” croaked Carlos.

“That doesn’t sound good,” replied Marjan.

“It just went down the wrong way, that’s all,” lied Carlos, face flushing at the attention. TK could see straight through him, and stood up.

“Sorry guys, it’s been a long shift, I’m going to head home for the night before this weather change turns into something else,” joked TK. “You coming Carlos?” Carlos could see he was in trouble straight away, the tension in TK’s shoulders, the way he was covering it up in front of his friends. Carlos stood up, smiling at the small group.

“Sorry guys, gotta head. Mateo, make sure you get that girls number next time!” called Carlos, grinning as he walked away. TK had a face like stone, leading the way to Carlos’ car. He waited for Carlos to unlock the car, and flung open the passenger side door, throwing himself inside. Carlos moved a little slower, feeling a little light headed as he slid into the driver’s seat. “Do you want to tell me what I did wrong?” asked Carlos.

“You didn’t tell me you were sick,” replied TK, sullen.

“I’m not. I just had a difficult case today, chasing a suspect, and he was really solid. Tackling him hurt more than I wanted to admit to anyone TK,” answered Carlos, hoping TK didn’t hear his voice shake. He turned on the ignition, pulling away from the curb and heading home. He was bone tired, light headed from a lack of oxygen.

_Just tell TK what’s really going on._

He sucked in a breath, barely feeling like it was touching the sides before coughing violently, stars appearing in front of his eyes. He pulled into the driveway, glad he lived close to the centre of town, and climbed out of the car, unlocking the front door. He stumbled momentarily, and TK was beside him instantly, a warm support.

“Hey. Let me look after you then,” said TK gently. He led them into the house, turning up the thermostat to warm the place, knowing Carlos preferred the heat over the cold. Carlos looked longingly at the lounge, the comfort of the couch cushions, and turned his attention to the stairs. He climbed them wearily, feeling like his bones were made of lead, and blindly headed for the bedroom. He faceplanted on the bed, groaning as he felt TK enter the room behind him. TK wordlessly helped Carlos out of his clothes, tucking him under the blankets and kissing his forehead before pulling away. Carlos whined at the loss of TK’s warmth.

“Stay?” he pleaded. TK glanced out the window, looking at the dark clouds threatening, and relented.

“Fine. Budge over.” TK made quick work of stripping off, snuggling in behind Carlos and pulling him close, Carlos burying his head under the blankets, the warm air helping his chest feel less congested. He fell asleep to TK’s warm breath on the back of his neck, content.

* * *

TK woke up in the middle of the night, cold air suffocating him as he sat upright, realising the bed was empty.

“Carlos?” he called. He listened carefully, unable to hear anything, and moved to flick on the lights. Nothing happened, and TK glanced outside, the wind raging, rattling the windows, rain dripping down the glass. The temperature had dropped in the house because there was no power, the thermostat flicked off, and TK could feel the chill against his skin. He pulled on his abandoned sweatpants and hoodie, grabbing his phone to use as a torch.

“Carlos?” he tried again. He could hear coughing downstairs, and walked quickly through the hall and down the stairs, bare feet making quick work of the journey. He found Carlos on the lounge, a camping lantern on the floor, throwing sharp shadows across Carlos’ body and face. A blanket lay abandoned around his hips, and TK could see his shoulders heaving, hands clenched in fists on his knees. It wasn’t until Carlos looked up that TK realised that the problem was serious, Carlos’ lips tinged blue, cheeks streaked with panicked tears.

“Shit. Carlos, can you tell me what’s going on?” asked TK, dropping to sit next to Carlos on the lounge. He tried to remain calm, hands ghosting over Carlos’ leg, not sure if he should touch, trying to tap into his knowledge as a paramedic. 

“No air,” gasped Carlos, and TK could hear the wheeze around his words, the air whistling as it attempted to fill his lungs.

“Allergic reaction?” asked TK. Carlos shook his head, and raised a weak hand, mimicking an inhaler. “Asthma?” tried TK again. Carlos nodded, a hacking cough rising from his throat and exploding past his lips. TK ran his hand down his face, before schooling his features, not wanting to scare or frighten Carlos, who was already clearly freaking out.

“Alright. I’m guessing you don’t have an inhaler here, or a nebuliser or anything, because I didn’t even know about this, and I’m sure you would have told me. I’m going to need to call 9-1-1, so they can send an EMS team out here, okay?” Carlos nodded, listing sideways against TK as he was wracked with paroxysms. TK dialled 9-1-1, praying that an EMS team would get out fast enough to Carlos’ place to be able to save him.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” TK recognised the voice as Isabella, one of Grace’s colleagues. She’d visited the 126 and APD for a ride along a few weeks prior, and TK knew she was quick and very proficient at her job.

“Isabella, it’s TK. I need an EMS team at Carlos’ place as soon as possible. He’s having an asthma attack, and I don’t think he has an inhaler or anything here to help,” explained TK, voice not betraying the panic he was feeling internally.

“EMS 121 has been dispatched to your location TK, they should be with you soon. 126 was already out, otherwise I would have sent them,” answered Isabella wistfully.

“It’s okay. I know they’ll be here as quickly as possible, thanks Bella. I’ll be good from here, I’ll let you get back to your calls.” TK ended the phonecall, rubbing Carlos’ back, feeling the muscles trembling as they worked hard to try and draw in needed oxygen. TK rested his head on Carlos’ for a moment.

“You’re okay. Don’t panic. I’m still mad you didn’t tell me, but that’s a discussion for later. Right now, just concentrate on trying to breathe, and the 121 will be here soon to help you breathe, okay?” Carlos nodded into TK’s chest, hand moving from his knee to rub his chest, his sternum aching from the spasms.

“Sorry,” he wheezed.

“It’s okay Carlos, I’m not mad,” said TK quietly. He saw the street light up with reds and blues, and pushed Carlos away, against the back of the lounge. “I’m just going to let in the 121, okay? Don’t go anywhere,” joked TK. He walked over to the front door, pulling it open to face the 121 Paramedic Captain Daniel Davis, along with his team Evelyn Walker and Matt Rodriguez.

“Hey TK, Isabella said Carlos is having some kind of asthma attack?” asked Daniel quietly. TK nodded, allowing the team inside and directing them to the loungeroom. TK sidled around the three paramedics, taking his seat next to Carlos, holding his hand and rubbing his thumb along his knuckles.

“Carlos? We’ve met before on a couple of the downtown calls, I’m Evie. We’re just going to check you over, start you on some oxygen, and then work out the best course of treatment, okay?” Carlos nodded, trying to inhale again and failing miserably, coughing violently. Evelyn allowed him a moment before securing the nasal prongs on his face, turning up the oxygen flow. Daniel stood back, watching over Matt and Evie as the pair worked quickly, arms folded, observing TK and Carlos.

“Oxygen sats are low. Might try a nebuliser treatment first, see if that helps. If not I’d move to IM or IV treatments before moving him to hospital,” suggested Matt. Daniel nodded, and Matt pulled a nebuliser from the bag next to him, setting it up quickly with practiced ease. Evelyn swapped the nasal prongs over to a mask, Matt filling the reservoir with albuterol before securing the whole thing to Carlos’ face, flipping on the machine.

“You’re doing really well ‘Los, just keep breathing,” whispered TK. Carlos wheezed into his mask, and after a few minutes felt the weight start to ease from his chest, body trembling from the side effects of the albuterol. He listed sideways against TK, finally feeling like he could take a breath on his own without coughing up a lung.

“Sats are going up, that’s good. We’ll give it a bit, make sure he’s okay. Normally we’d cart you off to hospital, but the weather tonight has ER’s looking a bit overcrowded,” explained Matt.

“We’ve got a couple of spare albuterol inhalers. We’ll leave you with one, so that way you can help him out if it happens again tonight,” decided Daniel. The lights in the house flickered, before coming to full power.

“Looks like the electricity company has fixed up that downed power line, so you’ll have some heat as well,” smiled Evie. Carlos reached a hand out to her, gripping it weakly.

“Thank you,” he breathed.

“It’s okay, it’s our job Carlos,” replied Evie. A quick glance at the monitors in between her and Matt, and she smiled. “Looking good Carlos, numbers are all back up within range. If this is the first albuterol treatment you’ve had, you need to know you’ll feel strange for a little while, weak, shaky, maybe a headache, and it’s going to feel like your heart is trying to beat out of your chest, but I promise you these are all normal symptoms. TK here is going to look out for you, make sure you’re okay, and he knows what he’s looking out for in case something changes, alright?” asked Evie. Matt reached up, peeling the mask off Carlos’ face as the nebuliser beeped, notifying them the treatment was definitely finished.

“You know the drill TK. Any changes, call 9-1-1 again and let them know what’s happened, and we’ll take him straight in,” said Daniel sternly. Carlos let his eyes drift closed, finally able to breathe, the thermostat kicking in and the house starting to warm again. TK extricated himself from beside Carlos, propping him up on a pile of cushions, and following the team to the door. Daniel pressed an albuterol inhaler into his hand, and TK loked at him gratefully.

“Thank you. I really do appreciate it,” said TK quietly. Daniel clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Can’t let your boy die, your Dad would have my head on a stick so fast if we did. Look after him TK, I’ll let Vega know so she can check in later, just in case.” Daniel, Evie and Matt left, back into the freezing rain, and TK closed the front door, warding off the icy chill from the wind. He padded back into the loungeroom, placing the inhaler on the coffee table. Carlos cracked open an eye, before struggling upright, arms like jelly. TK crossed the room to sit next to him, and Carlos melted into his chest, playing with the strings on TK’s hoodie. It was quiet for a while, each lost in their thoughts, Carlos’ breath still rattling in his chest, but feeling infinitely better than when he’d woken up. He listened to TK’s heartbeat, finally hearing it slow down as TK stroked Carlos’ hair.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” asked TK, breaking the silence after a while.

“I… I didn’t want to admit there was something wrong. I’ve always been fine, and then every time the weather started to drop I’d get wheezy, find it hard to breathe. The doctor only told me yesterday that it was cold weather induced asthma, and I just… I don’t know TK, I’ve always wanted to be strong for you, I didn’t want this to change anything for us,” said Carlos. He felt TK starting to laugh underneath him, and he was confused. “What?”

“You could die from asthma Carlos. I don’t know if you know that, but you could die. It doesn’t change anything for us, except that I get to look out for you for a change,” said TK, kissing the top of Carlos’ head. Carlos snuggled close, feeling his mind start to drift as he fell asleep. TK felt the change, his own body tired, coming down from the adrenaline of realising Carlos couldn’t breathe, and he drifted off, the comforting weight of his boyfriend on his chest.

* * *

Carlos groaned as he opened his backpack, finding another inhaler stashed in a plastic container, a post-it trapped inside.

**Just breathe xx**

**Love TK**

It was the sixth inhaler he’d found in two days, and while he always pretended to be mad, his heart was warmed by the fact that TK felt the need to make sure he was okay, especially with the cold weather predicted for the next few days.

“Reyes! Need an officer to head out, join the 126 on a call, they’re having some trouble managing a callout. McCoy is going with you,” called the sergeant. Carlos nodded, shoving his backpack under his desk and heading out the door. A frosty breeze cut across his cheeks, and he huddled into his jacket, feeling his lungs complain as the bitter wind entered his nose. He swore internally, realising that he’d left his inhaler in his backpack under his desk, instead of slipping it into his pocket like he was supposed to. McCoy drove today, Carlos just an extra hand, sure the sergeant sent him out because he was tripping everybody up by being in the station. McCoy pulled up to the scene, and was out of the patrol car in moments, issuing directives to the crowd, who moved quickly and easily. Carlos stepped out of the car, and felt his lungs and chest protest straight away, a hacking cough passing through his lips. He tried to hold it in, to take a breath, but it was to no avail. He stumbled across to the 126 Ladder truck, taking a seat at the back of it, bent over as he struggled for air. He felt a hand on his back, and an inhaler pressed between his lips.

“Breathe in,” he was instructed. Paul was crouched down in front of him, watching carefully. Carlos sucked in a breath, feeling the vapour chase its way down to his lungs. He coughed again, the inhaler pulled away for a moment, before repeating the process. The medication started to work, loosening the tension in his lungs, and he found himself looking into TK’s concerned eyes.

“We talked about this. What happened to keeping an inhaler on you to make sure you can still breathe?” he asked in mock seriousness. Carlos flushed, looking embarrassed, and TK grinned.

“I found the one in my backpack. And the one in the glove box of the Camaro. And the two tucked inside my shoes yesterday morning, not to mention the one that attacked me from the medicine cabinet, or the one next to the box of condoms in the drawer. I had the one from my backpack in my hand, and when I was called out here, I stuffed it in my backpack on autopilot, instead of my pocket. My bad,” said Carlos, ducking his head sheepishly. TK pressed a brief kiss to his temple.

“It’s okay you goose. Just don’t forget to breathe.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr and harass me to write more - @AliceSchuyler


End file.
